How to download full res images from reddit
In case you did not know, When images are uploaded to Reddit, they are duplicated into several different sizes, then these smaller images are displayed on the post to allow the website or app to run faster. As editors, it is important for us to download the highest resolution copy of the image that we can, and this Reddit behavior makes that a bit of a pain!
By Hand on Dekstop Browser
1. Right click on the preview image and select “Copy Image Address”
2. Paste that URL into your browser but do NOT click enter
3. At the beginning of the URL, replace the word “preview” with the letter “i”
4. Now when you hit enter, it will load the full res image and you can download
And it works great… but it is a bit cumbersome!
Automated Bookmark
I decided to ask Gemini if there was a faster way to accomplish this, and it came up with a “Point-and-Shoot” solution that works great! I wanted to share it with my fellow editors, I hope it helps! This method uses a Bookmark button on the Chrome Toolbar.
How to set it up
Create a new bookmark on your browser toolbar
Paste the code below into the URL field:
javascript:(function(){document.body.style.cursor='crosshair';var h=function(e){e.preventDefault();e.stopPropagation();var t=e.target;if(t.tagName!=='IMG'){t=t.querySelector('img')||t}var s=t.src||t.href;if(s&&s.includes('preview.redd.it')){var n=s.replace('preview.redd.it','i.redd.it');fetch(n).then(r=>r.blob()).then(b=>{var a=document.createElement('a');a.href=window.URL.createObjectURL(b);a.download=n.split('/').pop().split('?')[0];document.body.appendChild(a);a.click();document.body.removeChild(a)}).catch(e=>{window.open(n,'_blank')})}else{alert('Not a Reddit preview image.')}document.body.style.cursor='default';document.removeEventListener('click',h,true)};document.addEventListener('click',h,{capture:true,once:true})})();
How to use it
While on the Reddit page you want to download from, click the Bookmarklet button.
Your mouse cursor may change to a Crosshair (+)… mine didn’t because I have a custom mouse tooltip
Now click directly on the Reddit preview image.
The script instantly grabs the URL, converts it to full resolution, and launches the “Save” dialog (or downloads it immediately, depending on your browser settings).
Note: If the auto-download is blocked by security settings, it will merely open the full-res image in a new tab so you can save it manually. This is because the browser is blocking the “silent download” because of CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing).
Basically, you are on reddit.com, but the image lives on i.redd.it. Modern browsers treat these as two different websites. When a script on Site A tries to silently download data from Site B, the browser often panics and blocks it to prevent data theft. That is why the script fails and uses the “backup plan” (opening the new tab).
There is a 50/50 chance you can fix this by granting Reddit specific permissions.
You need to tell your browser, “I trust Reddit to download things.”
Go to the Reddit tab where you are trying to use the bookmarklet.
Click “Site Information” Icon on the far left side of the address bar (next to the URL).
Click “Site Settings” (or “Permissions”).
Look for these two settings and change them both to Allow:
Automatic downloads
Insecure content (Sometimes required because of how Reddit redirects images)
Refresh the Reddit page and try the bookmarklet again.
What about on mobile devices?
I don’t edit on mobile, but I know some people do, so I asked Gemini
Using Chrome
You can actually use the exact same Bookmarklet, but triggering it is slightly different on mobile since there is no “Bookmarks Bar.”
How to trigger it:
Sync: Ensure your mobile browser is signed into the same account as your desktop so the “Point-and-Shoot” bookmark syncs over.
Navigate: Go to the Reddit post.
The Trick: Tap the Address Bar (where the URL is) and start typing the name of your bookmark (e.g., “Fix Reddit”).
Execute: You will see the bookmark appear in the search suggestions. Tap it.
Tap the Image: The script will run. Tap the image, and it should load the full-res version (or force the download dialog).
Using Reddit App
The official app is terrible for this. It often saves compressed versions, and you cannot run scripts inside it.
The “Share to Browser” Workflow: You need to get the post out of the app and into a browser where you have control.
On the post, tap Share -> Copy Link.
Open your mobile browser (Chrome/Safari).
Paste the link.
Run your Bookmarklet (using the search bar trick above).
Using Apple Devices
I also asked about Apple devices, and Gemini said:
If you are on an iPhone, Apple has a solution built-in called Shortcuts.
You can download a pre-made shortcut (like “Reddit Media Downloader”) that adds a button to your Share menu.
Workflow: Viewing post in App -> Tap Share -> Tap "Download Reddit Media" -> Image saves to Photos instantly.
If you are on iPhone, let me know, and I can walk you through setting that up—it is faster than any browser method.
However, since I do not own any apple devices, I did not ask it to elaborate, but I am sure you could ask yourself!
Other Options
A few other options that have been receommended by editors i trust are listed below:
Browser Extensions
I asked around to see what other editors are using. These were a few of the suggestions:
View Reddit Images Directly (Chrome Extension)
Save To Downloads (Chrome Extension)
Load Reddit Images Directly (Firefox Extension)